Tuesday

6th Jun 2023

Opinion

The EU needs to foster tech — not just regulate it

The EU's ambition to be a digital superpower stands in stark contrast to the US — but the bigger problem is that it remains far better at regulation than innovation, despite decades of hand-wringing over Europe's technology gap.

Column

EU lobbying clean-up — what happened to that?

Six months after Qatargate, as institutional inertia and parliamentary privileges weigh in, the sense of gravity and collective resolve have all but disappeared. MEPs show little enthusiasm for reform of the rules that today allow them significant outside paid activities.

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EU lawmakers 'hold breath' on eve of AI vote

European lawmakers regulating the risks of artificial intelligence are likely to face resistance from EU states ahead of negotiations later this year and possibly even among their peers ahead of a plenary vote.

Predicting migration: the opaque science behind AI technologies

European states and international organisations have developed technologies to detect migration patterns and predict the number of people from third countries seeking asylum in the EU. But doubts have been raised about the effectiveness and desirability of using predictive technologies.

MEPs push for world's toughest rules on AI

The aim is "to avoid a controlled society based on AI, instead to make AI support more freedom and human development, not a securitarian nightmare" a key MEP on the file said.

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Opinion

The 'Fediverse' — an old key to a new internet?

It's high time we escaped the barbed-wire-fenced private domains of Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. You don't need to search long for a key — at least if you know where to look.

Column

GPTChat could be 21st century Goethe's Sorcerer's Apprentice

Some argue that these are merely language models working with probabilities, that they have no human intelligence. But users do not care how these models generate language. They perceive it as human-like and they will often perceive it as authoritative.

Opinion

How far will we — and the EU — let AI go?

Airbnb has already patented AI software that can supposedly predict a person's traits and their actions based on data it holds on them from social media. That could determine how much a consumer pays — or even gets a booking.

Opinion

Big Tech's attempt to water down the EU AI act revealed

The launch of ChatGPT has sparked a worldwide debate on Artificial Intelligence systems. Amidst Big Tech's proclamations that these AI systems will revolutionise our daily lives, the companies are engaged in a fierce lobbying battle to water-down regulations.

Opinion

Racist algorithms and AI can't determine EU migration policy

Artificial Intelligence in migration is increasingly used to make predictions, assessments, and evaluations based on racist assumptions it is programmed with. But with upcoming AI Act, the EU has a chance to draw red lines on the most harmful technologies.

Magazine

To lead in cyberspace, the EU needs to avoid digital tribalism

To avoid digital tribalism the EU needs a strategy to better engage with the Global South, including the emerging digital powers such as Brazil, Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Mexico, Singapore, South Africa, and Senegal.

Magazine

The outdated myths and exciting reality of 'Digital Africa'

A look at the history of the digital transformation taking place in Africa proves that the continent is certainly not backward. Africa has always been progressive and is currently in the midst of an exciting and disruptive digital revolution.

Magazine

Spyware scandals in Europe are 'much worse than Watergate'

The illicit use of spyware in Europe is worse than the Watergate scandal which brought down US president Richard Nixon — yet EU authorities are ignoring the danger, MEP Sophie in 't Veld tells Wester van Gaal.

Magazine

How does 'Digital Strategic Autonomy' really work?

Buzzwords like 'strategic' and 'autonomy' have long been heard among Brussels' policy-makers, think-tankers, and academics. However, the concept has only become a real priority recently, bringing the geopolitical role of the EU to the top of the agenda.

Magazine

Forecasting and profiling, or bias and discrimination?

A showdown is likely among MEPs and governments over the EU Commission's proposal on Artificial Intelligence and fundamental rights. The legislation, likely to be agreed next year, will be key in fighting discrimination in the virtual and real world.

EU spends €387k on a metaverse, throws low-attendance gala

A metaverse gala event organised for the European Commission on Thursday (29 November) attracted a handful of confused ballon-like avatars. The gala was a part of €387,000 metaverse project, financed by the European Commission's foreign aid department.

Interview

No place for dystopianism in digital EU

What's a credible dystopian nightmare for a leading writer on AI and Big Data? "It's going to be the size of a mosquito and it'll be an aerial drone".